Packing machine



Jan. 17, 1939.

v. w GORDON PACKING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 18, 1937 A um; @ZRE 1 I/VVE/VTOR M i 1 a A A TTQEyE/ Jan. 17, 1939. vyw. GORDON 2,143,847

PACKING MACHINE Filed March 18, 1937 2 Shets-Sheet 2 WVQW Patented Jan. 17, 1939 UNITED 'sTArEs PAGKIN G MACHINE Verne W. Gordon, San Jose, Calif., assignor to Dante H. Giannini, San Jose, Calif.

Application March 18, 1937, Serial No. 131,645

2 Claims.

The present invention relates particularly to a machine for packing lettuce and the like in suitable crates or containers.

Selecting lettuce as an example of the type of material to be packed by the machine, its character should be carefully noted. Whenthe lettuce reaches the hands of the packers it is quite a solid compact head, the trimmers having removed the outer and looser leaves as a part of the trimming process. Even so, the heads must be packed in solid layers under considerable compression to allow for any shrinkage or other adjustments that might take place during shipment. This packing by hand is a laborious proc- 5 ess and an expensive one.

It is one object of the present invention therefore, to provide a machine so constructed and arranged that it will pack the lettuce heads in the crate without injury thereto, and yet so compactly that they can be shipped long distances Without danger of relative movement in the crate.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional View on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatical illustration of the method of operation of the machine.

Figure 4 is a sectional detail view on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail illustration of another embodiment of a portion of the machine.

Figure 6 is a detail illustration of the method of mounting some of the pressure plates.

In the particular embodiment of the machine herein disclosed, I show at 'I an upright rectangular'iramework in which is mounted a vertically slidable cage as 2. The vertical movement of the cage 2 is controlled by air pressure through the medium of cylinder 3 mounted on frame l and its piston 4 connected to the cage 2, the air conduits through which air is moved to actuate the piston in either direction showing in part at 5.

At 6 is shown a cap member having a substantially convex form and adapted to seat upon the top of a layer of lettuce heads. This cap is carried by two vertical rods 7 mounted for vertical movement in frame or cage 2 and mounted in a cross bar 8. To the cross bar 8 is connected a piston 9 operating in a cylinder i ii on cage 2. The movement of the piston and cap is controlled by air pressure introduced into the cylinder ill at H.

Encompassing the cap 6 are four pressure plates as shown at [2, I211, I21), I20, these four plates being mounted and operated in the same manner and at the same time, and identical in construction. The plates I2, I 2b are supported by arms as I 3, I3b, pivotally mounted on cage 2 5 as at 54, and normally lie in spaced relation to cap 6.

Since these pressure plates must be moved positively and at desired intervals of time toward and away from the cap member 6 the following 10 mechanism is provided.

A cylinder I5 is mounted on the cage 2 and supplied with air under pressure at I6, to operate a piston H. The piston l1 carries a horizontal plate l8 to which are connected rods I9, I91), 1 these rods being pivotally connected to the plate and to their respective pressure plates [2 and lZb The pressure plates la and I20 are mounted and operated in the same manner as plates I2 20 and I21); and consequently similar parts are designated by similar numerals followed by appropriate letters. The arms |3a and l3c are mounted on bars as 28 rotatably mounted on cage 2.

The result of the construction described is 25 that the four pressure plates normally assume the positions shown in Figure 1 in spaced relation to cap 6, but when the air pressure is applied to move piston l1 upwardly, then the rods l9 to llc draw the said pressure plates inwardly until 30 they contact the edges of cap 6.

The corner pressure plates 2| to 2| c are mounted on arms 22 to 220 pivotally mounted on cage 2 as at 23 to 23c. These corner plates are moved I simultaneously with the side plates 35 through the medium of rods as 24 to 240 connected to plate i8, these plates completing a contractable rectangular gripping structure for compressing the lettuce heads beneath cap 6.

It is obvious that any suitable source of air 40 pressure may be utilized, and the air pressure may be controlled by suitable conduits and valves not shown.

To properly position the lettuce heads so they may be grasped and lifted in a body by the above 45 described machine I provide a pan 25 of such size that the pressure plates will fit snugly within its four sides when fully extended. The pan has a slightly conical bottom as indicatedat 26.

In preparing the lettuce for packing, the heads 50 are placed side-by-side in the pan, by hand, until the pan is filled. The pan is then centered under the cage 2 as shown and the cage lowered to insert the pressure plates as described. In this operation the cap 6 contacts the tops of the under- 55 lying heads of lettuce and is pushed up thereby. When the plates are in position the piston ll is operated to draw the plates centrally until they contact the edges of the cap 6, thereby compressing the lettuce heads into the limits defined by the edges of the cap. The cage 2 is now raised and the compacted lettuce lifted above the top level of the pan.

Acrate 21 having been placed immediately below the pan, the pan is now removed and the cage lowered until the pressure plates reach the bottom of the crate. The piston I! is now again operated to spread the pressure plates to the walls of the crate, and the piston 9 is operated to press down the center of the layer of heads which now expand to cover the bottom of the crate.

After the bottom layer is placed in position the cage is raised and the same sequence of operations is repeated for each successive layers of heads deposited in the crate.

In the diagram, Figure 3, are shown three positions of the crate loading mechanism. At A the several parts are shown in the starting position. At B the same parts are shown as they appear when lowered to the pan 25 and operated to compress the lettuce under the cap 6. At C the same parts are shown after they have been raised to the starting position A, the pan removed, and then lowered to the bottom of the crate 21,

When the lettuce heads are placed in the pan 25 the side rows will, of course, contact the sides of, the pan, with the result that when the pressure plates are lowered into the pan they contact the sides of those heads and tend to turn them out of their upright positions.

To positively hold the heads in position while the pressure plates are being lowered I provide vertically sliding rods as 28 in guides as 29 on the inner side of each plate. These rods carry foot plates as 3%] adapted to seat on the lettuce heads and urged into said contact by springs as 3|.

. The lettuce heads may be held out of contact with thewalls of the pan by a guard comprising a bar as 32 sup-ported against the inside of the pan sides by spring members as 33 on each end thereof and passing down through the bottom of the pan and inwardly along its bottom and secured thereto as at 34. The bar 32 also carries depending pins as 35 reciprocating through holes as 36 in the bottom of the pan. When this device is used the descending pressure plates rest upon the bars 32 and press the same downwardly as they pass between the heads and the pan walls.

It is to be understood, of course, that while I have herein shown and described but one specific embodiment of the invention, changes in form, construction, and method of assembly and operation may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of packing lettuce and the like in a crate which consistsin arranging a layer of heads in a loosely compact formation inclined upwardly to the center from all sides to cover an area of the same shape but of greater dimensions than the crate, supporting the central portion against upward displacement, compressing the layer laterally into lesser dimensions than the crate, depositing the compressed layer in the crate, releasing the same to expand to the dimensions of the crate, and pressing down the-central portion to the level of the sides of the layer.

2. A packing machine for head lettuce and the like comprising, a pan having a bottom upwardly inclined toward the center from all sides and adapted to receive a layer of heads of lettuce, a presser cap member of lesser dimensions than the pan engageable with the top of the central portion of the layer and actuating means therefor, compressor members movable into the pan to engage the side heads, power actuated means associated with the members to move them inwardly of the pan and compress the layer beneath said cap, and means for simultaneously moving the cap and members vertically to lift the compressed layer out of the pan.

VERNE W. GORDON. 

